Epic of the Peloponnesian War Strategy Notes
Sparta
As Sparta in the Campaign Game, you have your work cut out for you. Athens has an all-powerful fleet, and a copious Treasury to pay for it; most of her rich empire lies secure across the Aegean. How then to bring the Athenians to their knees?
The first thing that a Spartan player requires is patience. Athens will not be defeated in a season or a year. There is virtually no chance of taking Athens by assault against a prudent Athenian player, and a siege of Athens/Piraeus will have to wait until the Spartans gain some regions with 5 morale fleets. The Athenians will have to be worn down slowly and their empire taken apart piecemeal.
Because of your tight Treasury situation, you will have to carefully weigh every unit you place on the map and every campaign you plan to undertake. The Spartans must rely on foraging and raiding to stretch their Treasury out, and should plan on most of their units returning to their home regions to be disbanded in Winter. Use the "half price" supply cost for units in their home regions as much as possible.
The Athenians have much greater flexibility due to their initial Treasury surplus, but this can also lead to carelessness. The Spartan player should take every opportunity to encourage such behavior; for instance, elite fleets stationed outside of Attica can be a wonderful sinkhole for Athenian money.
Sparta has three great advantages over Athens: a much superior hoplite army, the Revolt Check, and the use of Rebellion Event Cards against Athenian regions. The Spartan hoplite superiority allows you to do some things that would be very risky for Athenian armies to try: foraging and raiding in enemy territory, for example. Spartan elite hoplites are powerful, but need to be used with care since losing one gives Athens a decisive victory. They are best kept in and around the Peloponnese--use allied or Laconian 5 morale hoplites for risky overseas ventures. Remember also that Sparta is unwalled--if you leave it undefended you are courting disaster, as Athenian naval power can very quickly put an army ashore in Laconia.
Rebellion Event Cards are one of the most important Spartan assets. Initially, only Lesbos and Chalcidice are within the Allegiance "Risk Zone" which allows Rebellion cards to be used, but Thrace and Chios start at 4 AL, so a single Spartan victory in either would put them at risk. To some extent, you should let the cards guide your strategy--make something happen where you have a card, rather than waiting for the card you want. City Betrayal cards can also be very helpful in getting a foothold in an Athenian region. It's not easy to get a Rebellion card to succeed, but the payoff is great. Taking over one of the eastern Aegean regions can be a dramatic turn in the fortunes of the war.
Getting to these regions can be a problem, of course. The Athenian player will be at great pains to prevent your fleet from crossing the Aegean and getting into all those unfortified cities. Often just placing a fleet at Gytheum or some other Peloponnesian port will be enough to keep multiple Athenian fleets on station around the Aegean. You will probably have to risk the Sea of Crete in order to get across, and even then the Athenian fleets may be able to block you--but Athens will be paying for many fleets to your one.
You should also take advantage of opportunities that result from Revolt Check rolls. Chalcidice starts the game with Potidaea in revolt; preventing its recapture is a good initial goal, although getting an army up to Chalcidice in time can be tricky. You should normally not worry about converting a "Revolt" marker to a "Sparta" marker by moving troops into the city; the smaller AL/ML adjustment bonus is more than offset by the stronger defense.
Spartan victory will come in stages, not in one crushing blow. Taking control of one Athenian region can be a stepping stone to attack the regions around it. A foothold in the eastern Aegean is the first step towards gaining Persian support, a key long-term goal. Every Spartan move should look to using up the Athenian Treasury and undermining the AL of Athenian regions.
Athens
The Athenian strategy should in many ways be the converse of the strategy outlined above for Sparta. You should try to end the war as quickly as possible, since every season that passes drains the Treasury surplus that is one of your greatest initial strengths. This does not mean, however, that you can or should directly attack Sparta itself. You should certainly be alert for a chance, of course, particularly in Winter when the Spartans may have disbanded most of their troops. But you don't need to go on the offensive to win the game; note that Athens will win if the game ends with no change from the starting position. The difficulty is bringing the war to an end before the Spartans manage to break apart your empire.
The war can't end until the Peace Cards are in play, so one simple thing you can do is run through the Event Cards as quickly as possible. Even at the maximum rate of use, however, the first deck will last at least until 425, so you will have to defend your possessions in the meantime.
You should try at all costs to prevent the Spartans from gaining any foothold in the eastern Aegean. Always keep a strong fleet in Piraeus to intercept enemy fleets crossing the adjacent sea Area--and remember not to commit all your fleets to interception if other Spartan fleets have not yet moved. You may want to keep a local fleet or two posted in the eastern Aegean to intercept any Spartan fleets trying to cross the Sea of Crete.
Revolts should be crushed ruthlessly, regardless of the cost. Better to spend the money than lose control of the region. Each season that passes lowers your AL and gives the rebellion a chance to spread. Potidaea should probably be immediately attacked or besieged, but watch out for a Spartan army coming to its rescue through Thessaly. Melos is less of an immediate threat, since the Aegean Islands AL is so high, but if left alone it will inexorably wear down your AL in one of your most valuable regions.
Just as the Spartan fleet is no match for you, your hoplites are generally outclassed by the Spartan army. You should engage in battle only for good reasons (such as to continue the siege of a key city), and then only under favorable circumstances. In an even match, the Spartan morale edge will usually carry the day. Try to use delaying tactics rather than battles to achieve your objectives (for example, preventing the Spartans from lifting the siege of Potidaea); if you have to fight, and can afford the AL penalty, withdraw after one round. Remember also to garrison Athens/Piraeus with a hoplite or two; a desperate Spartan player with a strong army could take an ungarrisoned Piraeus by assault.
You will also need to bring down the Laconia AL in order for the Peace Card to work when it finally comes up. One good ploy is to besiege and take Cythera as early in the game as possible; it is nearly impossible for the Spartans to defend or retake, and will be a slow but steady drain on the Spartan AL. Using your naval power to raid Laconia is another way to bring down the Laconia ML, although you have to be careful not to get caught in the act. Building a coastal fort in Laconia is a historical tactic that can supplement this activity--you may not be able to hold it for long, but it may divert the Spartans from bothering your territory. Forts and captured cities are also necessary to successfully use the Helot Revolt card, another way to bring down the AL/ML in Laconia.
Above all, remember that you don't have to go on the offensive. You will win if you can just keep what you start with. Resist the temptation to get sucked into sideshows fighting over 1-2 BTV regions. These are not worth fighting a large campaign over, and may waste resources better used to protect your more valuable possessions.
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Examples of Combat
Example 1
The Spartan player has a stack of 3 Boeotian hoplites (morale 5) and 2 Boeotian cavalry (morale 5) with a '0' leader. These attack 3 Attican hoplites in rough terrain, also led by a '0' leader. All the Spartan units are placed in the "5" column on the Combat Display; since the Athenians are defending in rough terrain, they receive a +2 morale bonus and are placed in the "6" column.
Round 1: The odds are 5-3, which rounds to 3-2. The Spartans qualify for the light troops odds shift because of their cavalry, but the Athenians have no light troops, so the odds are shifted one column in the Spartan's favor, to 2-1. Neither side has any leadership modifiers, so the attack is rolled at 2-1. The Spartan player rolls a 4, giving a result of '+1/M,' meaning a +1 morale check for the attacker and a normal morale check for the defender. The Spartan player makes his morale checks: all his units are base 5 morale + 0 modifier = 5 morale. So, on a 6, the unit will have to retreat, while on a 1-5 they will just be demoralized by one. He rolls for each unit, and one of his cavalry rolls a 6 and is placed in the "Retreat" box. The remaining four units are demoralized by one, and are shifted into the "4" column. The Athenian player makes his morale checks: all his units are base 4 morale +2 modifier = 6 morale. Since the units will only fail their morale check on a 7 or higher, none of them can fail a normal morale check, but are all demoralized by shifting them into the "5" column. The Spartan decides to continue attacking, and the Athenians do not withdraw, so the battle continues.
Round 2: The odds are now 4-3, which rounds to 1-1, but the Spartans still have one cavalry so they still get the light troops odds shift, and the attack is rolled at 3-2. The Spartan player rolls a 3, giving a result of 'D/M.' The Spartan player demoralizes all his units by moving them into the "3" column. The Athenian player has to make a normal morale check: his units are base 4 morale +1 = 5 morale. Now, his units will retreat on a 6. He rolls for each unit: 2, 2, 6. The third hoplite fails its morale check and is placed in the "Retreat" box, and the other two are moved into the "4" column. The Spartan opts to continue his attack, and the Athenian likewise declines to withdraw, so the battle continues to a third round.
Round 3: The odds are now 4-2, which is 2-1, shifted to 3-1 because of the Spartan light troops advantage. The Spartan player rolls a 2, giving results 'M/+2.' The Spartan player rolls a normal morale check: the current morale of all his units is 3. Now, if he rolls a 6, the unit will be eliminated, on a 4-5 it will retreat, and on a 1-3 it will pass the morale check and be demoralized by one. He rolls for his hoplites: 3, 1, 6. Bad luck! The third hoplite is eliminated, and placed in the "Dead" box. He rolls a 4 for his cavalry, which is higher than its morale, so it is placed in the "Retreat" box. The Athenian player rolls a +2 morale check for his units, which are at 4 morale: on a 7 or higher, the unit will be eliminated, on a 5-6 it will retreat, and on a 1-4 it will be demoralized. He rolls for the first hoplite: 5 + 2 = 7 -- the unit is eliminated. He rolls for the second hoplite: 3 + 2 = 5. It fails its morale check, and is placed in the "Retreat" box. The Spartan player obviously chooses not to withdraw, since all the surviving Athenian units are in the "Retreat" box. The Athenian player has no choice but to retreat his two remaining units to an adjacent hex, so the Spartan player takes possession of the battle hex and is awarded a victory in the region.
Example 2
Two Spartan units find themselves in a bad situation while foraging in the rough hex southwest of Lamia in Thessaly -- the Athenians cut off their avenues of retreat with two cavalry units to the north, and attack from the south. The Spartans have a Phocian hoplite (morale 4) and a Boeotian cavalry (morale 5). Their combat modifiers are -1 for foraging, and +2 for defending in a rough hex, for a total of +1 -- the hoplite is placed in the "5" column, the cavalry in the "6" column. The Athenians attack with 3 Attican hoplites (morale 4) and 2 light infantry (morale 3). Their morale is unmodified so they are placed in the "4" and "3" columns, respectively.
Round 1: The odds are 5-2, which rounds to 2-1. Both sides have "0" leaders, so there are no leadership shifts. Both sides also qualify for the light troops odds shift, but since the Athenians have more light troops, the odds are shifted in their favor to 3-1. The Athenian player rolls a 1, giving the result 'D/+2.' The Athenian units are demoralized by shifting them into the "3" and "2" columns. The Spartan player rolls a +2 morale check: the hoplite has base morale 4 +1 modifier = 5 morale. He rolls a 4 + 2 = 6, so the hoplite fails its morale check. Normally, it would be placed in the "Retreat" box, but since the Spartans have no open retreat hex, the hoplite is demoralized to the "4" column, and rolls a second, unmodified morale check. The Spartan rolls a 5 -- since its current morale is 4, this does not eliminate it (which would only occur on a 7 or higher, impossible for a normal morale check). So, it is demoralized again and moved into the "3" column. The Boeotian cavalry, in the "6" column, will only fail its morale check on a 7 or 8. However, it rolls a 2 + 2 = 4, so it passes and is moved into the "5" column. The Athenian player continues his attack, and since the Spartans are unable to retreat, the battle continues.
Round 2: No units have retreated, so the odds remain 3-1. The Athenian player rolls a 3, giving a result of 'M/+1.' The Athenian player makes a normal morale check. The 3 hoplites are at 3 morale: he rolls 5, 3, 2 -- the first retreats, the others are demoralized and shifted to the "2" column. The light infantry are at 2 morale: he rolls 5, 4 -- the first is eliminated, the second retreats. The Spartan player makes a +1 morale check. He rolls a 5 +1 = 6 for the hoplite, whose current morale is 3; it is eliminated. The cavalry current morale is 5. He rolls a 5 +1 = 6 -- the cavalry would normally retreat, but since it is unable to, it is demoralized to 4 morale and makes another morale check. The cavalry rolls a 1 for its second morale check, so it survives and is moved into the "3" column. The Athenian player continues to attack, and the battle moves to round 3.
Round 3: The Athenians have 2 hoplites left, while only the Boeotian cavalry remains on the Spartan side. The odds are therefore 2-1 with no shifts. The Athenian player rolls a 5, giving the result 'M/D.' The Athenian player makes a normal morale check for his two hoplites, whose current morale is 2. He rolls 3, 5 -- the first retreats, the second is eliminated. The Spartan player simply demoralizes his cavalry unit to the "2" column. The Athenians must withdraw, since all their surviving units are in the "Retreat" box, and the Spartan cavalry can even make a "Cavalry Pursuit" attack on the unfortunate Athenians.
Cavalry Pursuit: The Athenians have no cavalry, so the Spartan player rolls his attack at 1-1 since he has one cavalry. He rolls a 3, which is a result of 'M/M.' Only the defender's results apply in a cavalry pursuit, so the Athenian rolls a normal morale check for all the units, at a morale modifier of -3, since the battle lasted 3 rounds. He rolls 3 and 6 for the two hoplites (morale 4 - 3 = 1), which eliminates the second unit. He rolls a 2 for the light infantry, which does not eliminate it, so the Athenians escape with one hoplite and one light infantry. Since three Athenian units were destroyed, the Spartans gain a decisive victory, and the Athenians can only wonder how their apparent "sure thing" turned into such a disaster.
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